Syrian government deploys chemical weapons, killing more than 50 people

11 children were killed in the bombing, which included a facility where victims were treated

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April 4, 2017 4:35PM (UTC)

At least 50 people are dead in a rebel-held region of Syria after a suspected gas attack, believed to have been launched by the Syrian government, hit the town of Khan Sheikhoun. According to Reuters, warplanes continued to bombard the town after the attack, "including near a medical point where victims were being treated."

Reuters photos showed people breathing through oxygen masks and wearing protection suits, while others carried the bodies of dead children, and corpses wrapped in blankets were lined up on the ground.

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Eleven children were killed in the attack, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told Reuters. A Syrian military source has reportedly denied that the army is responsible.

Syria's regime, led by President Bashar al-Assad, is backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin — and, to some extent, President Donald Trump. As noted recently by The Globalist, "The Trump administration’s maxim seems to be this: When you don’t know where you’re going, any — and all — routes will get you there. So try them all — simultaneously."

As for Russia's goals in Syria, here's The Globalist:

As to Russia, there are no great mysteries as to objectives and the impact that it has made. In the Middle East, Putin stands head-and-shoulders above all other government leaders in clarity of strategic vision, diplomatic skill and probity. Moreover, he has been aided immeasurably by the bumbling of others — especially in Washington.

The broad strategic perspective of Putin, and the consensus among Kremlin elites that he represents, is known. He has delineated it with unprecedented clarity, detail and comprehensiveness in a series of speeches and public interviews. Our leaders studied ignoring of them is inexcusable and dangerous.